This European Standard specifies a method for simulating the release of nickel from all post assemblies which are inserted into pierced ears and other pierced parts of the human body and articles intended to come into direct and prolonged contact with the skin in order to determine whether such articles are in compliance with No. 27 Annex XVII of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council (REACH). Spectacle frames and sunglasses are excluded from the scope of this European Standard. NOTE Spectacle frames and sunglasses are subject to the requirements of EN 16128:2011 which provides an unchanged re-publication of the technical requirements that had previously been specified in EN 1811:1998, but restricted in scope to apply only to spectacle frames and sunglasses.